Get Farming Mini Grants

Overview

Are you a farmer in the Kansas City Metro area who is currently growing for sale, and looking to increase your capacity for production and/or distribution? Are you a business that exists to help growers become more productive? Cultivate Kansas City, in collaboration with the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, are making funds available to support these activities to KC metro growers.

Purpose

The purpose of the mini grants is to help existing farms expand their capacity to produce food for residents of Kansas City, MO; Jackson County, MO, Cass County, MO; Lafayette County, MO; and Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas, particularly residents with limited access to fresh, locally grown food.

Grants are available to:

Farmers selling produce

501(c)3 organizations or a project that has fiscal sponsorship of a 501(c)3

Entrepreneurs looking to increase farmer services within a community

Food distribution projects

In order for an urban farmer to be eligible, they must have:

A state Retail Sales Tax License

At least one full production season of documented sales of their farm productsThis can be proven through submitting a copy of the previous year’s signed and submitted Federal Schedule F or a year’s worth of Kansas Retailer’s Sales Tax Return ST-26 forms and/or Missouri Sales Tax Return, Form 53

If a farmer has been selling, but does not have one or either of these, please email Mark Gawron. He will talk to you about what records you may have available to document your previous sales.

If you do not currently have sponsorship of a 501(c)3, please email Mark Gawron or call 913-713-9264, and we may be able to work with you to find a sponsor.

Application Timeline

Deadline for application
5 p.m. on December 14, 2018 via email

Decision and grant checks awarded
February 22, 2019

Contracts signing
February 25 through March 8, 2019

Checks issued (target date)
March 15, 2019

Grant application process

Download and complete the application form. Save the form with your farm name or business name in the file name. Return the completed application and copies of the required documents via email to Mark Gawron by 5 p.m. on December 22

Details

Amount available

Up to $15,000 will be distributed over the grant cycle. The maximum grant size is $3,000, with the expectation that actual grant awards may range between $500 and $3,000, depending on the project.

Cooperative proposals with more than one farmer will be considered; the funds available will be up to $3,000 per farmer. This is a one-time only award, so please seriously consider your plans for development.

Funds may be requested for:

Expansion costs for urban farms, such as equipment that will allow you to increase production; one-time costs associated with bringing new land into production or adding a new production system.

Infrastructure: Funds can be used to help with the costs of constructing a packing shed, building a greenhouse, installing a permanent irrigation system, cold storage, etc. In order for grant requests for structures such as small greenhouses to be considered, the grower must document that the structure will comply with applicable building codes.

Projects that will increase farmer services such as: community greenhouses, composting projects, equipment rentals, and farmer co-ops will also be eligible.

We may suggest a modification of your budget based on reviewer feedback. Projects that include funding from other sources are welcome.

Grant restrictions

Funds may be used only for projects/farms that raise food (vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat or other edible farm product) in Kansas City, MO; Jackson County, MO; Cass County, MO; Lafayette County, MO; and Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas for consumption by residents in those counties.

Priority will be given to growers serving low-income communities and people with limited healthy food options.

Funds will only be made available to projects that are not eligible for other urban agriculture grants or matching programs. If you are unsure of your best option, please contact Mark at mark@cultivatekc.org and he can help you determine the best source of funding for your project.

Download and complete the application form. Save the form with your farm name or business name in the file name. Return the completed application and copies of the required documents via email to Mark Gawron by 5 p.m. on December 22

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed and awarded by a five-member peer review committee that includes at least 2 growers (farmers, community or home gardeners), one individual with formal grant making/ philanthropic experience, one person with experience as a leader and organizer in grass-roots communities, and one Cultivate Kansas City staff member.

If you have previously applied to a Get Growing KC Mini-Grant and your proposal was not funded, you may be eligible to reapply for a Get Farming Mini-Grant after consultation with Mark Gawron.

We strongly encourage working with Mark in advance of submitting the proposal. His primary role in the grant making process is to help you develop the best possible project and the best possible grant application, and then to let the review committee objectively evaluate.

Please keep in mind that if a grant review committee member has worked with you on your proposal or project, they will recuse themselves from discussion of your application. Please email Mark Gawron or call 913-713-9264 for technical assistance. Please give us as much advance notice as possible.

If a grant is awarded, you will need to:

Immediately upon notification of award, sign a grant agreement stating that you will use the grant funds as presented in the budget. Funds must be spent within 12 months of the grant agreement signing.

Between 4 and 6 months of the grant being awarded, meet with a member of Cultivate KC at your farm/project. We also strongly encourage that you use Metro Farms and Food Systems Program Manager, Mark Gawron, for additional technical assistance and support during your implementation of the funded project.

Submit a final report and pictures of the results of the grants. The final report is due within 14 months of the grant agreement signing.The final report will consist of:a. A narrative answering these questions.– Tell us how you implemented the funded project- Were there any significant changes to your plan?- How did the funded project increase the supply of locally grown food available to people with limited resources and fresh food access?- What are your future plans for use of the capital investments you purchased under the grant?b. A financial report of actual expenditures and any other related income

Download and complete the application form. Save the form with your farm name or business name in the file name. Return the completed application and copies of the required documents via email to Mark Gawron by 5 p.m. on December 22